Drew Brees Believes Saints Would Be Fine Without Jimmy Graham

Brees and the Saints are working and preparing for the 2014 season without star tight end Jimmy Graham. Graham of course is at odds with the organization over his franchise tag and how he should be paid.

Brees told USA Today that the Saints have put numbers with a vast array of weapons, and he believes it will be business as usual if Graham decides to hold-out.

“I’d hate to not have Jimmy,” Brees told USA TODAY Sports. “I’m very confident that a deal will get done. But if it doesn’t, you worry about what you do have and who you do have out there.”

“Look at our numbers over the last eight years,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of different guys in there. Jimmy’s only been here four years. He’s only been here half the time. We were putting up some pretty big numbers before he got here, and we’ve been putting up some big numbers since he’s been here.

“Hey, we do what we do. It’s nice when you can have guys like Jimmy, and obviously he’s a big part of our offense. If he’s in there, we’re going to try to get him the ball. We’re game-planning ways to get him the ball, ways to put him in the best position to succeed. But if he’s not, somebody else is going to get those touches. We’ll put those guys in position.”

Graham led the Saints with 86 catches, 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.